Internet issues posing a problem for SMEs, research suggests

Research carried out by Storey has revealed that internet connectivity issues pose the biggest risk to the productivity levels of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

67% of SMEs surveyed by Storey reported that internet problems hindered them the most, with 38% stating that they had experienced internet failures in the last month.

46% of respondents revealed that they have a slow internet connection. 37% believe that this is preventing them from attracting new talent.

A further 21% of business leaders said that they spend more than 20 hours each month fixing technological issues.

Joff Sharpe, Head of Operations at British Land, which oversees Storey, commented: ‘SMEs in particular, with their limited resources, face a number of challenges that could hamper their productivity – and, ultimately, their success.

‘Many of these relate to managing, maintaining and looking for office space, distracting them from their core jobs of running their business.’